


Chasing Comets

by okayhotshot



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Proposal!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 04:28:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7493832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okayhotshot/pseuds/okayhotshot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith Kogane, the most popular writer at Voltron Publishing, hasn't put out a book in five years. His boss is at the end of her rope and his rival writer, Lance McClain, is putting out books like it's nothing. Just when Keith thinks that things couldn't possibly get worse, his past comes back to haunt him and the threat of deportation looms over his head. </p>
<p>Now in order to keep from getting kicked out of the country and losing his contract, Keith will have to turn to Lance for help. Which includes it's own set of stipulations. Will Keith be able to hold onto to his last fleeting chances of happiness or will this all end in a flaming disaster?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chasing Comets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, all! This is my first stab at the Voltron boys and I hope that I can do them justice! Please enjoy!

Keith wakes with a start when he hears a thump at his front door. He knows that he should be used to the sound of the morning paper arriving by now, but every morning without fail it seems to pull him from his slumber. Most mornings he lays back down, pulls the covers over his head and goes back to sleep, but he knows that today he can’t do that. He already has his alarm set to wake him up within the next thirty minutes anyway. He has a meeting with his publisher today. 

He runs a hand through his dark hair as he pushes himself up from the bed. Barefeet hit the cold hardwood floor and he curses under his breath as he pulls his shirt on over his head. He reaches for his phone on the nightstand, checking the time before crossing the room to the doorway and making his way to the den.

He doesn’t bother to pick up the paper before going to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. He knows what he’ll see. More devastation, something about Taylor Swift, and if he’s really lucky, he’ll see something about how he’s apparently disappeared off the face of the Earth. The last time he checked a news source, one of the headlines had read **_“KEITH KOGANE QUITTING THE WRITING GAME?”_ ** and had only been a bitter reminder that he hasn’t put out a book in the past five years.

He’s been stuck in a rut since his last book hit the shelves. He likes what he does and he’s made a great name for himself, but the whole thing about deadlines has been the bane of his existence ever since he signed with Voltron Publishing. His boss, Allura, is so adamant about deadlines that he’s surprised that he wasn’t let go from the company when he didn’t meet her year and half one. Instead, she’s let him hang on by a thread, always threatening to let him go if he doesn’t shape up. Part of Keith knows that won’t happen. He’s too good for the company. He brings in more revenue than anyone else at the agency and ever since he signed with them, they’ve received more manuscripts than they can keep up with.

But he won’t have to worry about that anymore. He’s finally broke through the writing block that’s been in his way for so long. He’s started on what he’s sure is going to be his best novel yet, and he can’t wait to tell Allura about it. She’s sure to be ecstatic about the news that he’s writing again. He knows that when he started stringing words together again that it felt incredible. He can only hope that the feeling will last.

He fills the coffee filter with grounds and presses the start button before heading back down the hallway and into the bathroom. He showers off quickly, trying not to think about how the meeting with Allura could go. Surely she’ll be happy that he’s writing again, and won’t just think that he’s lying? Sure, he’s barely put a dent in the novel, but it’s got to be worth something. But then again, Allura has been praising Lance McClain for the past three years. He’s become Keith’s biggest rival at Voltron. He’s like Stephen King when it comes to speed, and close to the same quality, even though Keith hates to admit it. What if she decides to drop him and put Lance on a pedestal? Keith isn’t sure that he could handle that.

He shuts off the water and towels himself dry before wrapping it around his waist and heading to his closet. He knows that Allura doesn’t expect him to dress up, but he always feels weird about going into the office wearing anything less than business casual. He finally settles on a pair of black pants and button up shirt. That should be good enough, and if it’s not, then Allura will just have to deal with it.

He picks his phone up from the nightstand, checking the time again before stuffing it in his pocket. If he leaves now, he’ll be early for their meeting, but he doesn’t want to take the time to get breakfast. The last thing he needs is to get sick in Allura’s office again. He makes his way back the kitchen and pours himself a cup of coffee into a to-go cup and grabs his keys from the hook.

He steps over the paper on the sidewalk as he goes to the car. He doesn’t even bother to look down at it. He climbs into the driver’s seat and takes off towards the office.

Traffic is decent today. He hits a couple of red lights and those are his biggest problem. Dealing with bad traffic in the city is the last thing he needs to do today. It would only put him even more on edge than he already is. So he’s grateful that the universe seems to be giving him a break.

It isn’t long before he pulls into the parking lot and climbs out of the car, locking the door behind of him. He feels a vibrating from his pocket and he digs into the depths of it for his phone before bringing it to his ear.

“What is it, Shiro?”

“I was just making sure that you were actually up for your meeting,” Shiro says back. “I’m amazed you managed to get up with just your alarm.”

“I can get up when I know that I have to,” Keith snaps back. “I just...usually don’t want to.”

“The paper woke you up again, didn’t it?”

“Shut up,” Keith grumbles as he reaches the door and pulls it open. “I appreciate you calling, but I have to get to Allura’s office.”

“Don’t give me that,” Shiro says easily. “You’re there early.”

“Yeah, well the sooner that I get in there, the sooner I can get back home and write,” Keith tells him. “Allura loves to get things done early, she’ll be glad that I’ve stumbled in half an hour before she asked me to.”

“Are you really writing? Or is that just what you’re telling Allura so she won’t fire you?” Shiro asks, sounding skeptical of the entire situation.

“I should have known that you wouldn’t believe me,” Keith says, obviously a little disappointed by Shiro’s comment.

“Keith, can you blame me?” Shiro says, obviously not going to fall victim to Keith’s tone of voice. “It’s been years since you've finished anything that wasn't some kind of broody poem.”

Keith scoffs at this. “My poems aren't broody!”

“If telling yourself that helps you sleep at night, by all means, continue,” Shiro says, a hint of laughter in his voice. “Anyway, like I was saying, you've been stuck for so long, it’s hard to believe you're really moving forward again.”

“If I'm being honest, it's not going as well as I'd like for not to,” Keith admits. “I've been working on it for weeks and the words just aren't coming out. I've barely finished one chapter.”

“There it is,” Shiro says. Keith is sure if he was standing next to his friend, that Shiro would be resting his hand on his shoulder, silently congratulating him for admitting what he thought that he couldn't. “I just think you need some excitement in your life. Go on a date, go on a trip. Do something besides sitting at home trying to force sentences out.”

“Thanks for the advice, Shiro, but going on trips isn't going to get my job done. I have to go. I'm getting in the elevator.”

Keith hangs up the phone and shoves it back on his pocket before Shiro can even think about replying.

As the doors to the elevator close, Keith presses the button for the floor to Allura’s office, sure that she’ll be free at this time or morning. The elevator makes a couple of stops for others to get on and off, but he barely noticed the crowds of people around him. This should bother him. He used to pay so much attention to his surroundings, hoping that he might find something interesting to put in his next book. But now everything just seems to pass by him in a blur. He doesn't stop to try and take notice.

As he steps off the elevator when it comes to a stop, he does take a moment to look around at the office. The cubicles are too close together and everyone is either busy on the phone or pouring over a manuscript. Just another day at Voltron Publishing.

Keith doesn't bother to stop and say hello to anyone, but he does feel their eyes on him. He's not surprised. He's practically company royalty and his last three books have been on top of the Best Seller List.

He finally reaches Allura’s office door, and begins to turn the handle, when her assistant, Coran, tries to stop him.

“Mr. Kogane, Allura’s in a meeting right now,” Coran says, hurrying over from his desk to try and stop him from opening the door. “You're early for yours.”

“In a meeting already? She usually gets editing done before meeting with clients,” Keith says, skeptical of Coran’s comment.

“Well she had to meet with this one /today/,” Coran says. “Apparently he's going to visit his family this weekend. Something about his nana’s ninetieth birthday.”

Keith stops short, taking his hand off of the knob and turning to look at Coran. “All right. Fine. I’ll just stay out here and bug you until Allura lets me in.”

Just as Coran is about to respond, the door to the office swings open to reveal Allura seeing out Lance McClain. He’s babbling on about something or other to her. He’s talking so fast that Keith can’t even make out what he’s saying. He doesn’t know how Allura does it.

“Anyway, like I was saying,” Lance continues. “I just have to put on the finishing touches and....well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. Keith Kogane and his mullet.”

Keith rolls his eyes. At this point, he’s heard the mullet comment come from Lance’s mouth so many times it’s almost like their form of a greeting. “I don’t have to stand here and take that from someone with the writing ability of Stephenie Meyer on a bad day.”

“That’s pretty funny coming from someone with the current publishing rate of Edgar Allen Poe,” Lance snaps back almost instantly.

"Boys, that’s quite enough,” Allura says, her brows furrowing as she listens to them bickering. “Lance, I’ll see you when you get back from your trip. In the meantime, do try to slow down a bit. We can only publish so many books a year, you know.”

“I can’t make any promises,” Lance says with a charming smile. “You know me. I’m speedy and incredible.”

It’s Allura’s turn to roll her eyes and she puts her hands on Lance’s back to shove him the rest of the way out of her office. “Yes, yes. Incredible is one way to put it, Lance. Now get going before I decide to fire you.”

Even Keith knows that Allura’s words are an empty threat. The last thing she’s going to do is let go one of her best writers just for being cocky. If there were the case, she would never have signed McClain in the first place.

“Whatever you say, Allura,” Lance says, tossing her a wink before looking back at Keith. “See you around, Keith. Maybe next time we meet you’ll have done something about that Billy Ray Cyrus haircut of yours.”

Keith doesn’t even bother to respond with words. He simply pulls his free hand from his pocket and gives Lance the middles finger before turning around to walk into Allura’s office, trying to block out the sound of Lance McClain’s laughter.

“You two have  **got** to stop acting like two teenage boys that are vying for the attention of the head cheerleader,” Allura says as she shuts the door behind her. “It's not professional and makes me want to claw my eyes out.”

“You're not alone,” Keith mumbles as he brings his coffee cup to his lips.

“Regardless, you're not here to discuss your childish feud with Lance. I want to know the truth. Are you really working on something?”

Keith nods. “Yes. It's not moving very fast but it's moving. It's more than I've written in years.”

“Keith, you've got to give me  **something** ,” Allura says. “It's been five years. Eventually people are going to lose interest in where you've been hiding and you’ll have to make a hell of a come back.”  

“I'm trying,” Keith says, a hint of bitterness in his tone. He should have known that this is what the meeting would be like. He came in expecting Allura to be ecstatic that he was even writing again, not berate him for not having it finished. “We're not all Speedy Gonzalez like Lance McClain.”

“I don't expect you to be popping out books left and right,” Allura says, exhaling a soft sigh. “I just need something, Keith. I know it's in there. You just have to find it.”

Keith knows that she has a point, but he’ll never admit it out loud. He just needs to be glad that Allura isn't letting him go from the company. He can do this. He can get back in the game, he knows that he can.

After Allura is done lecturing him on why he needs to bring her a new manuscript as soon as possible, he practically drags himself back to his car. He takes his phone out of his pocket to check it before he starts the engine.

He has a missed call and a voicemail from an unknown number. Out of curiosity, Keith decides to play the voicemail message.

“Mr. Kogane, I'm Phillip Zarkon from the U.S. Department of Immigration. There seems to be a problem with your paperwork. If you could call back or come down to the office we can get it all straightened out. Thank you.”

Keith groans. That would be the cherry on top of his  **fabulous** day. He’s been trying to apply for citizenship since he came to the U.S., but it seems that they want to make things more difficult than they already are. What problem could there possibly be?

He decides since he's already out that he’ll just drop by the office and get everything taken care of. He ignores the text from Shiro and starts the car before taking off down the road.

Thankfully, The Immigration Office isn't far away from Voltron. He reaches it within a matter of minutes, pulling into the parking lot and climbing out of the car. He makes sure his wallet is secure in his pocket before making his way to the building and going inside.

The receptionist doesn't even look up when Keith approaches the desk. Would it be so hard for one thing to go pleasantly today? He clears his throat and the receptionist looks up from her computer to glance at him.

“Yes? How may I help you?”

“I’m, uh, Keith Kogane,” he says, brushing his hair out of his face. “I got a call from Phillip Zarkon. Something about paperwork issues.”

“Oh, yes,” she says, picking up the phone and dialing his extension. “Mr. Zarkon, Keith Kogane is here to see you. Of course. I’ll send him back immediately.” She hangs up the phone and gives Keith a pleasant smile. “Just go through the door right here and his office is the very last one on the right.”

“Thanks,” he says, waving at her before disappearing behind the door. If they’re getting him in right away, it must be a really big issue. He can’t see them taking him back so quickly otherwise. Once he reaches the office in question, he knocks on the door, only to be called in. He opens it up and steps inside.

All Keith can see is the back of Zarkon’s chair, and he feels a little intimidated by the dim lighting in his office. He feels like he’s about to be interrogated. His heart feels like it’s residing in his stomach and he isn’t sure what to say, so he decides to let Zarkon speak first.

“Mr. Kogane,” the deep voice from the message finally says as the chair spins around to reveal him. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

Keith furrows his eyebrows, but quickly realizes that this man must be a fan of his work. “It’s always great to meet new people,” Keith says. “Just please don’t tell me that  **_Oblivion_ ** was your favorite book of mine.”

Zarkon chuckles, shaking his head, an almost mischievous grin spreading across his face. “You really don’t remember my name, do you?”

Keith’s frown only grows at this. He’s never encountered this man before in his life that he can remember. And he usually remembers faces and names fairly well. “I’m sorry. I can’t say that I do.”

“You might remember my book better,” Zarkon says, folding his hands under his chin as he looks up at Keith. “ **_Galactic Infinities_ ** .”

“Oh, yeah. The  **_Star Trek_ ** rip off,” Keith says without thinking, instantly regretting what he said. “I mean…”

“No need to be kind now, Mr. Kogane,” Zarkon says with his voice still perfectly calm. “You weren’t in your e-mail. I asked you to read my book and tell me what you thought of it. Your reply was rather scathing.” 

“Scathing? I’d like to think I was just being honest,” Keith replies easily. “Your protagonist was an exact replica of Jim Kirk and your main villain wished that he could be as badass as Darth Vader. Your writing had potential, man, but your plot was a mess.”

“Now is not the time to be ‘honest’, Mr. Kogane,” Zarkon says. “I didn’t bring you here to talk about my writing abilities. I brought you here because you’re about to be deported.”

“Deported?” Keith asks, clearly surprised by the comment. “What in the hell for? The last time I checked all of my paperwork was in order. What is this really about?”

“Oh, your paperwork  **was** in order, Mr. Kogane,” Zarkon says, his grin turning more and more devilish by the second. “That was until they put me in charge.”

The sudden realization washes over Keith. Zarkon is going to deport him simply because he didn’t like his shitty book. “You can’t do this. I’ll take this to the upper levels.”

“You can’t stop me. It’s been two years since that email, Mr. Kogane. I’ve thought of everything. We’re rejecting your paperwork on Monday and they’re going to deport you all the way back to Korea. We’ll see how one of America’s best author’s does business from over there.”

“I’ve lived here for ten years!” Keith exclaims, rage bubbling in the pits of his stomach. “Never been arrested, never been investigated, or anything! On what grounds are you rejecting my paperwork?”

“I have my ways, Mr. Kogane,” Zarkon says, leaning back in his chair. “And come Monday morning, your happy ass will be on a plane back to Korea.”

“I don’t think so,” Keith says, thinking as quickly as he can, noticing the picture of Zarkon and his wife on the man’s desk. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m getting married.”

It’s Zarkon’s turn to frown, shaking his head as he does so. “There’s nothing about that in your paperwork,” he says, opening up the folder and searching through the files. “You’re not getting married.”

“Yes I am,” Keith says, trying to think of who could pose as his partner. Allura would turn him down for sure. The only person he can think of is Shiro, and that will have to do. “We haven’t told anyone yet. It just happened last night.”

“And you haven’t even told your family?” Zarkon asks, more and more skeptical by the minute. “Wouldn’t they be the first people that you called?”

“Well, uh, he’s not out to his family yet,” Keith says quickly, hoping with everything that he has that Shiro will agree to this. If not, he’s completely screwed. “We haven’t told anyone. Very under wraps.”

“I’d like to meet this partner of yours,” Zarkon says. “I’ll call to set up an appointment.”

Keith breathes a sigh of relief, realizing that he has some time to get Shiro to agree to pose as his husband-to- be. As he turns to leave, he’s stopped by the sound of Zarkon’s voice once again.

“You do realize if you’re lying, Mr. Kogane, it’s five years in prison for you and anyone else involved in your little game,” he says. “And I  **will** find out if you’re telling the truth or not.”

He doesn’t respond as he quickly leaves the office, not even bothering to mutter a goodbye to the rude receptionist as he makes a break for his car. Once inside, he snatches up his phone and goes to his recent calls and presses Shiro’s number to dial him back.

“C’mon, Shiro,” Keith mutters under his breath as it rings more than once. “I need you to answer the phone.”

“Keith! How did the meeting with Allura go?”

“Shiro, that’s the least of my worries right now,” Keith says as he starts up the car. “Do you remember Phillip Zarkon?”

Shiro is silent for a moment as he thinks back on the name. “Isn’t that they guy that e-mailed you that god-awful space novel?”

“Yes,” Keith says, pulling out onto the road, heading back to his house. He has to think about this. He has to figure this out. There has to be a better way to stop Zarkon than  **getting married** . But he knows that he probably has no chance of doing that what-so-ever. “Well, guess what? He’s in charge of my fucking immigration case.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Shiro says. “What did he say?”

“Basically that he hates me because of the way I responded to his novel and he’s threatening to reject my paperwork,” Keith says. “And in a panic, I may have told him that he couldn’t deport me because I was getting married.”

“You didn’t,” Shiro groans. “Who’s the poor person you’re dragging on this amazing escapade with you?”

“I was sort of hoping that you would do it,” Keith says, smiling a bit even though Shiro can’t see him. He’s hopeful that his friend will say yes and this will all be said and done with.

“Oh, no,” Shiro says. “You may be my friend, but I cannot afford to go to jail for you. You aren’t dragging me into this mess.”

“Shiro, please,” Keith begs, almost cutting someone off as he goes through a stoplight when it just turns red. He’s in a hurry to get home. Today has been nothing short of a disaster and it’s not even noon.

“I can’t,” Shiro says. “I have Kira to worry about. If you get caught, we both go to jail and I can’t do that to my daughter, Keith.”

Keith had almost forgotten about Shiro having Kira. Of course. He understands completely why his friend can’t help him. Kira is his main priority, but that doesn’t change the fact that Keith is royally fucked now.

"You’re right,” Keith says quickly as he finally arrives back at his house, parking in the driveway, not bothering to climb out of the car right away. “I’ll just have to find someone else to do it. Maybe Allura knows someone.”

“There you go,” Shiro says. “Don’t give up hope. If the marriage thing doesn’t work, which I don’t see it, I’ll find away to make sure they don’t deport you. But if you think this is your only out, be my guest.”

“I wouldn’t have said in the first place if I didn’t think I had any other option,” Keith says, letting himself slump over in his seat. “Listen, I’m gonna go call Allura. If she doesn’t know what I can do, I’ll have to figure something out.”

They say their goodbyes and Keith drops his phone into his lap before leaning over and letting his head fall onto the steering wheel. He hasn’t even taken a moment to let all of this properly sink in. He's been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. He can't really help it. He doesn't want to leave here. He doesn't want to go back to Korea. He's made a life for himself here and he doesn't want to give that up, no matter how seemingly boring and uneventful it is. He’d do just about anything to stay here. He thinks that he'd even marry McClain if it came to that.

Heaving another heavy sigh, Keith picks up his phone again before climbing out the car, shutting the door behind him as he punches in Allura’s number. He can only hope, that like always, she'll have a solution. 


End file.
